Keyboard perforator transmitter



Feb. 13, 1940. R. A. LAKE KEYBOARD PERFORATOR TRANSMITTER Filed Oct. 4, 1937 H wE mm hm INVENTORQ ROSS A. LAKE ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES KEYBOARD PERFORATOR TRANSMITTER no... A. Lake, Oak Park, 111., minor to Teletype Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application October 4, 1937, Serial No. 187,139

6 Claims.

This invention pertains to printing telegraph apparatus and particularly to a keyboard actuated mechanism for the preparation of a signal control strip.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an efficient and easily operable keyboard apparatus for the production of signal control strips.

Another object is to render the key action of such keyboard apparatus smoother and lighter to the touch.

A further object is to provide a means effective under certain conditions for removing from the key lever action the pressure imparted by certain of its functional elements.

The present invention contemplates for the attainment of the above and other objects of the invention, a keyboard mechanism arranged with a plurality of keys operatively associated with pairs of vertically movable permutation bars through which interponent bars of a perforating mechanism are moved selectively to control the operation of punch pins allotted thereto and to perforate a tape correspondingly.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the contacts for controlling the character counter have been more efiectively located from the standpoint of enhancing the key action. Since the function of the counter control contacts is to route an electrical circuit through either a registering magnet or a release magnet in the counter of the type; for example, in accordance with U. S. Patent No. 2,018,368, it is necessary to condition the counter control contact springs before the punch operating contact is closed. Due to the inherent structure of prior designs of such apparatus, it was necessary to close the punch operating contact near the extreme end of the key stroke, making the touch? or key movement, undesirably deep. In the specific embodiment showh, both the depth of the stroke and the key pressure required to operate the perforator-transmitter have been reduced. The counter control contact assembly has been placed on top of the keyboard casting in closer proximity to the selector mechanism.

A counter contact operating assembly is mounted within the keyboard casting and is provided with a plurality of small camming levers, which engage the function key levers, and two vertical contact-operating arms, through the instrumentality of which the operation of the counter control contacts is accomplished early in the stroke of the keys. The small camming levers are so arranged that they will be pushed completely cludes any unnecessary movement of the counter 10 control contact springs when the key is depressed to its aximum displacement. The counter control co tacts are aisocomzpletely operative before the code selection is set up so that there is ample margin between the routing operation of the counter control contacts and the operation of the punch magnet contact.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for holding the universal bail depressed or out of engagement with the key levers while the keyboard device is being operated to perforate a tape only. The specific form according to the present invention involves a fiat spring used to disengage the trip pawl. The

spring possesses the advantage of permitting the trip pawl to be freed from the intermediate bell crank lever, which it normally engages, before the universal bail draws the trip pawl forward. The spring, therefore, performs the desired disengagement of the trip pawl from said bell crank 80 lever relatively early and provides a yield during the latter part of the travel of the tape-keyboard switch lever. By means of this feature, the load or effort of operatingthe universal bail has been removed from the key levers when the perforator- 85 transmitter is being used as a perforator only.

A better understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the keyboard mechanism according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the counter control contact assembly; a v

Fig. 3 is 'a simplified wiring diagram of an electrical control circuit that may be employed in connection with the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view to illustrate the control of the clutch mechanism by the tape-keyboard switch lever.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference characters are used to designate similar parts throughout the several figures, there is shown in Fig. l a keyboard Ii supported by a 55 base casting l2. Positioned to the rear of the base casting l2 and suitably Journaled theretov is a pivot rod l3. To the pivot rod l3 a plurality of key levers 14 are rotatably mounted which are normally biased to horizontal position by individual springs '(not shown), and which are provided, as is the usual practice, at their forward ends with keytops 15 arranged in banks.

Beneath the key levers l4, and extending transversely thereof, are a plurality of pairs of code bars l6. Each pair of code bars 13 comprises a bar l1 and a bar l8, and these bars are all provided at each end with vertical slots or notches l3 and 2| respectively, which fit over guide combs 22 and 23. The bars l1 and I8 are thus held against longitudinal movement. but are free to be shifted vertically in response to the operation of key levers l4.

Pivotally mounted on rods 24 and 25 are pairs of rocker arms 25 and 21 interposed between code bars l1 and 18. The rocker arms 25 and 21 are substantially T-shaped, with their free ends formed with oppositely off-set lugs. Said lugs are disposed on opposite sides of the pivot rods 24' and 25 and are spaced some distance therefrom. One of the lugs of each rocker arm pro- Jects forwardly into a notch on the lower edge of the corresponding code bar 11, and its companion lug projects rearwardly beneath the companion code bar l8. With this arrangement, the depression of either code bar of the pair of bars l6 rocks the arms 25 and 21 and lifts the companion code bar. To the depending portion of the r-shaped rocker arms 26 and 21 is articulated a longitudinally movable permutation bar 28. Thus, when the code bars I1 and I 8 are moved vertically in accordance with the depression of a key lever l4, the permutation bar 28 individual to a pair of bars 11 and I8 is moved longitudi nally.

The key lever and permutation bar construction and arrangement are the same as disclosed in Patent No. 1,884,753 of October 25, 1932 issued to H. L. Krum, and for further details thereof reference should be made to the cited patent.

Each of the key levers I4 is arranged, when operated, to engage and depress one of the permutation bars of each pair of code bars l5 and to set these code bars in accordance with a character code combination. To achieve this object, the upper edges of the code bars l1 and I 8' are notched to provide high and low portions in accordance with the respective codes. Also, the bars of each pair of code bars are complementary; that is, the notches of one bar are opposite the projections of its companion bar. The interconnection between the bars of each pair of bars l6 by means of the rocker arms 25 and 21 prevents the simultaneous depression of two key levers. If anattempt is made to operate more than one key lever at a time, thekey levers can only be depressed for a short distance, when they will be blocked by the high portions of the code bars. By such construction, the simultaneous depression of two key levers and the transmission of an incorrect signal is prevented.

The perforator comprises a set of code punches 29 movable through an opening in upper and lower guide plates 3| and 32 and cooperative with a die plate 33 to perforate a tape 34. The .plates 31 and 33 are spaced apart to form a tape guide. Intermediate the guide plates 3| and 32 is a stripper plate 35 which cooperates with shoulders on the punches, and due to the action of springs 38 operates to remove the punches clear ly operated by' the actuation of the punch hammet 31 on a set of punch interponent bars 38 corresponding in number to the punches 28. Operatively associated with each of the bars 38 is a pivoted arm 38 which is connected to the permutation bar 28 by means of a link 4|. The interponent bar 48 for the feed-hole punch pin is immovable and is fixed at its right-hand end (Fig. 1) to an arm 40 secured to the perforator frame 50. l

The hammer 31 rocks about its pivot 42 and forms the armature of an electromagnet 43. The hammer 31 comprises a comb portion 44 or guiding the interponent members 38 and 48. In accordance with the disclosure in copending application Serial No. 151,364, filed July l.- 1937 by C. W. Burcky, the hammer surface of portion 44 comprises two intersecting planes 45 and 48 and a raised rib 41 on one of said planes. The code punch interponent bars 38 are adapted to slide on the plane surfaces 45 and 48, while the feedhole punch interponent bar 43 cooperates with the raised rib 41. Thus at all times the upper surface of the feed punch interponent bar 48 is higher than the corresponding upper surfaces of interponent bars 38. The function of the two I intersecting planes and the raised rib-is to compensate for the rocking motion of the punch hammer 31 to maintain substantially the same relation between interponents 38 and 48 in both the clockwise and counterclockwise positions of the hammer 31. When a punch hammer such as hammer 31, having two planes and'a raised rib for the feed hole punch interference bar 43 is used, it is desirable to adjust the lateral position of the interference bar 48 (rightward or leftward position, as viewed in Fig. 1) under the feed hole punch. Accordingly, the arm 40 on which bar 48' is mounted is made adjustable by providing for the insertion of shims 48.

' Pivotally carried at one end of punch hammer 31 is a pawl member 55 which cooperates with ratchet teeth 56 of a spacing roller 51 which isprovided with feed pins 58 adapted to mesh with the feed holes which are invariably perforated in the tape 34. Thus, when the magnet 43 is energized and the hammer 31 is rocked to its clockwise position, pawl 55 is raised to engage a tooth 53 on the spacing roller 51. Then, upon deenergization of magnet 43, spring 53 actuates the hammer 31 to its counterclockwise position and draws pawl 55 downwardly, which movement causes the spacing roller 51 to be rotated counterclockwise one angular step to effect the spacing of the tape 34 one unit distance.

In addition to the five pairs of code bars l8 there is provided, as disclosed in Patent No. 1,965,602, a universal bar (not shown) associated with a rocker assembly the bar 28 of which is connected by a link 4| to a contact operating lever (not shown) associated with a pair of contacts 52 (Figs. 1 and 3) for controlling the operation of the punch magnet 43. Upon operation of any key lever 14, contacts 52 are closed and an energizing circuit for perforating magnet 43 is completed, causing magnet 43 to operate, whereupon hammer 31 will be rocked to its clockwise position, thereby effecting the perforation of the tape 34 in accordance with code combinations. Upon the deenergization of magnet 43 the punches 28 are withdrawn and the tape 34 is advanced one step under the influence of spring 53.

To indicate to the operator the number of code main machine, and may be of the construction shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,018,368. Consequently, by observing the position of a pointer with respect to the scale of the counter III, as fully disclosed in said patent, the operator can constantly note the number of character code combinations perforated in the tape from the beginning to the end of the line, and can deter-' electromagnet 5|, as indicated in Fig. 3, extends through the contact springs GI and 82 of contact bank 80, and the contact springs 52. In other words, the contact springs GI and 62 are normally closed and are so related to the contacts 52 that when the latter contacts are closed for causing energization of the punch electromagnet 43, a circuit is likewise completed through the electromagnet 5|. Upon the completion of the circuit for the electromagnet 5|, it is actuated and causes the associated pointer to move over the scale for indicating the number of character code combinations perforated in the tape as disclosed in Patent No. 2,018,368. When a predetermined number of character code combinations have been perforated in the tape, or a number sufilcient to fill a line of printing, a mechanism on the counter Ill is operated to ca se the closure of contact 54. The closure of this contact completes the circuit for a lamp 59, which signals the operator of the approach of the end of the line. The operator in noting this signal operates the carriage return key and in so doing, an energizing circuit is completed for an electromagnet 18, in a manner which will presently appear, to control the restoration of the pointer of the counter ID to its normal or zero position.

It is desired in connection with certain of the function key levers, such for example as shift and unshift, line feed and carriage return, to prevent the operation of the counting mechanism or counter Ill. Upon the depression of these particular key levers, actuation of counter I0 is prevented by a camming lever arrangement which comprises an important feature of the present invention. Having reference to Fig. l, the camming levers 65, 66, 61, and B8 are pivotally mounted upon a bracket 69 which is secured to the base l2 through a pair of lugs 10 (only one of which is indicated in Fig. 1). The camming levers 65,

disposed to therear of bracket 88 and theirlower' ends are pivotally articulated to a horizontal ,bar

12'. At the left-hand end of bar It is fixeda yer: tically directed contact operating member II.

camming lever II is mounted on the forward face of bracket '8 and is pivotally articulated to a horizontalbar I4. ll isalso pivotally connectedby means oi'a link ll to bracket 88 so that bar It is movable with respect to bracket 89 in a parallel motion, manner There is also fixed to the left-hand end of bar 141a contact operating member l8 corresponding to member 13.

Contact operating members "II and It cooperate with contact springs'il, Bland 63 of contact bank-88 (Figs. 1 and 2) which is carried on a bracket 11 mounted'on base casting II.. when those key levers l4 allotted to the shift, unshift,

and line feed functions are operatedgthey are caused, through'the cam portions of their ajssociated camming levers 65, 85, or 81, to actuate said camming levers clockwise. (as viewed in Fig. 1) 'to move bar'l2 leftwardly to actuate contact operating member 18 correspondingly, which movement causes contact spring 62 to be sepa- 14 to actuatecontact operating member 16 in a corresponding direction. This 'movement of member 16 causes the disengagement of springs 62 and 6| and the engagement of contact springs GI and 63 to complete an energizing circuit for an electromagnet 18 in the counter In which controls the restoration of the pointer of the counter Hi to its normal or zero position' in the manner disclosed in Patent No. 2,018,368. The energizing circuits for the electromagnets .5l and I8 may be traced over the conductors clearly disclosed in Fig. 3. It will be noted that the camming levers are so arranged that they will be pushed completely to one side by their associated key levers during the first half of the stroke of said key levers. During the last half of the key stroke, there is no further displace-*- ment of the camming levers.

When the perforator mechanism, according to the present invention, is employed in combination with a keyboard transmitter, the permutation bars 28 are each provided with a forked member 8| (Fig. 1). Articulated to member 8| is a depending arm of a. locking latch 82 pivoted on a common shaft 83. In this manner, locking latches 82 are articulated to the permutation bars 28 and are adapted to be rocked about pivot shaft 83- to either of two positions. Associated with latches 82 is a corresponding series of contact levers 84 for making and breaking individual contacts 85. Contactlevers 8t cooperate with individual'contact cams on cam-drum 86 mounted on the transmitting shaft 81 providedwith a clutch mechanism 88 (Fig; ii-controlled by a trip member 89, as set forth in-U. S: Patent No. 8

1,965,602. U. S.-Patent No.1,595,472 of August 10, 1926 discloses the cam drum assembly 88 and reference may be had to suchpatent for further details thereon. .Trip member 89 cooperates with a Mover u pivoted tabracket u; The depen ing arm of T-lever 8| is pointed as at 88 andis in the path of a shoulder 84 formed-in a 'slidable member 85. The member 85 iss'ecured to a universal ball 86 which is rotatably mounted on studs 81 '(Fig. 1), and which is rotated upon the depression of'any of the keys of the keyboard.

The universal ball 86 and the member 85 are normally urged upwardly and rightwardly, respectively, by a spring 88. when the universal bail 88 is depressed, the member 85 will be moved to the left against the action of spring and the shoulder 84' will engage the pointed end 88 of' the T-shaped lever 8| and cause said lever 8| to be rotated clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 4), which action will cause trip member 88 to be rotated out of engagement with portion 80 of clutch 88 thus permitting the clutch 88 to operate through one complete cycle in well-known manner. The

82,- through the instrumentality of tripmember 88 which releases the clutch 88 for rotation. as

previously described, and the locking loop 88,

controlled by a cam IOI carried on acam assembly freelymounted on shaft 81, is permitted to rotate in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 1) to lock the latches 82 in their selected positions. The setting of latches 82 determines whether the contact levers 84 shall or shall not be affected by their associated cams on cam drum 86 to transmit,

. through contacts 85, over a signal line to the receiving station, a predetermined code combination of signaling impulse. The respective notches in the cams on cam drum 86 are arranged in a helical progression so that upon the rotation of the cam assembly, the contacts 65 controlled by levers 84 will be operated successively. The apparatus herein disclosed is operated in accordance with an equal length letter code, in which each code combination is a permutation of mark- 'ing and spacing conditions, and is preceded by a start impulse and followed by a stop impulse ac-- cording to the familiar start-stop system.

With the apparatus according to the present invention, it is desired, in some instances, to transmit directly to a line circuit, code combinations of impulses representative of the character keys operated, while in other instances it may be more practical flrstto perforate a tape in accordance with the key operated, and then-to transmit subsequently the signal corresponding thereto by means of a tape transmitter. To provide for the several possible conditions of operation, a switch is arranged in the keyboard apparatus to control the transmission of impulses directly to the line circuit, the perforation of a tape only, or the operation of the transmitting distributor and the perforator simultaneously. The controlof these various conditions of operation is fully" disclosed in U. S. Patent No.

1,965,602. However, according to the present invention, the aforementioned switch has been modified to improve the operation of the apparatus in eflecting a transition from transmitting only, or transmitting and perforating, to perforating only.

As set forth in said patent, to control these various operations, a switch lever or member I82 is provided which is pivoted at I88, and which assumes three positions; namely, an upper posi tion I! (Figs. 1 and 4), a middle position I05, and a lower position I08, and is held in these representative positions through the cooperation of a bracket I01. As shown in Fig. 4, switch member I02 is provided with a bifurcated end which cooperates with a group of contacts, not here shown, but which is fully described in Patent No. 1,965,602. That position of the switch 'membe'r I02 indicated I04 is referred to as the "keyboard". position and is a position wherein direct keyboard transmission of signals to the line is eifected; that is, each time a key lever is operated, the transmitting cam drum 88 is rotated a single cycle to transmit a code combination of signals through contacts 85 to the line. The position of switch member I02 indicated as I05 is 8 to this particular position, the member 85 is moved through the instrumentality of a flat spring member I08, which is secured to switch member I02, to a position where its shoulder 84 is out of alignment with the pointed end 88 of the T- shaped lever 8|. Consequently, when the universal bail 86 is operated, the member 85 will not operate the clutch release lever 8| and hence the clutch 88 will not be released for rotation. Under these conditions, impulses will not be transmitted to the line circuityas previously described, upon the depression of the character keys. The spring I08 possesses the advantage of permitting the member 85 to be freed from point 83 of the T- shaped lever 8|, which it normally engages, before the universal ball 86 draws member 85 forwardly. The spring I08, therefore, performs the desired disengagement of the member 85 from the lever 8| relatively early and yields during the latter part of the travel of the-switch member I02.

Carried also on pivot I03 and adjacent to switch member I02 is a lever arm I08. Mounted on lever I08-at III is an eccentric studI I2. The

depending arm II 8 is integral to lever I08; 'The function of stud I I2 is to control for adjustment purposes the angular relationship between levers I02 and I08. Stud II2 cooperates with shift member I02, and lever I08 cooperates through arm 8 with universal bail 86 in such manner that upon the depression of the switch member I02 to its lowest position, indicated I06 in Fig. 1, switch member I02 engages stud I I2, and through arm II8 causes the depression of universal ball 86 in which depressed position the universal ball 86 is retained so long as switch-member I02 remains in said lowermost position. Thus, upon the depression of switch member I02 to its lowermost position, two operations occur simultaneously; that is, the freeing of shoulder 88 from point 88 by means of spring I08, and the depression and retention of universal bail 86. By means of this feature, the load or effort of operating the universal bail 86 has been removed from key levers it when the apparatus according to the present invention is being used as a perforator only. However, each time a key lever I4 is operated, the universal bar previously alluded to for operating the punch magnet control contacts 52 will be actuated, closing contacts 52 to complete a circuit to effect the operation of the perforator magnet 33.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to a particular structure, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Hence, all forms coming Within the scope of equivalency of the appended claims are intended to be covered by the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telegraph unit, a selector mechanism, operating elements therefor, a counter for recording the number of operations of said selector mechanism including a stepping magnet responsive to the operation of the selector mechanism and a release magnet operative to restore said counter, and cam means controlled by said elements for controlling said magnets.

2. In a telegraph mechanism, a selector unit, operating elements therefor, a counter for recording the number of operations of said selector mechanism including a stepping magnet responsive to the operation of the selector mechanism and a release magnet operative to restore said counter, counter routing contacts, and camming levers operated directly by said elements for controlling said contacts to control said magnets.

3. In a telegraph keyboard unit, a selector mechanism, a series of key levers, a counter for recording the number of operatidns of said selector mechanism including a stepping magnet responsive to the operation of the selector mecha-- nism and a release magnet operative to restore said counter, counter .operating contacts, and camming levers operated directly by said key levers for controlling said. contacts to control said magnets.

4. In a telegraph keyboard unit, a selector mechanism, a series of key levers, a counter for recording the number of operations of said selector mechanism including a stepping magnet responsive to the operation of the selector mechanism and a release magnet operative to restore said counter, counter routing contacts, operating members for said contacts, and parallel motion mechanism carrying said operating members and actuated directly by said key levers to operate said contacts in routing manner to control said magnets selectively.

5. In a telegraph keyboard unit, a selector mechanism, a series or key levers, a counter for recording. the number of operations of said selector mechanism including a stepping magnet responsive to each operation of the selector mechanism and a release magnet operative to restore said counter, counter control contacts, operating members for said contacts, and cam means operated directly by said key levers for controlling, through said members, said magnets selectively.

6. In a telegraph unit, a selector'mechan'ism, operating elements therefor, a counter for counting the number of certain operations of said selector mechanism including a stepping means responsive to the operation of said selector mechanism whereby said counter is operated progressively step by step, and means controlled by certain oLsaid elements for rendering said stepping means inefiective and thus preclude the operation of the counter.

ROSS A. LAKE. 

